Winter Wish, part 1
by Fei-yen
Summary: Two years have passed since Keitarou and Naru were wed. Returning to Hinata Sou, Kanako discovers it empty of all it's usual inhabitants. Except one. Please R&R!


Chapter 1 

by** Fei-yen**

This fan fiction takes place AFTER the manga ended. Two years after, actually. If you haven't read all 14 books of Love Hina and/or watched the Love Hina Again OVA, DO NOT READ FURTHER. It **does** contain spoilers. And lots of it, too.

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_(I know Kanako has parents, but the manga really didn't go in-depth into them, so I placed Grandma Hinata as her guardian in place of her actual parents. Sorry if that seemed unfair to Kanako, fans! ;; )_

Kanako looked up at the ceiling of her room in Hinata Sou and sighed hopelessly. The hour was 1 AM. Normally ,Hinata Sou would have been lively even at this hour. Mitsune would probably be drinking her usual large quantities of alcohol, Kaolla would be in her room designing the latest mecha Tama-chan, and Motoko would be at the roof practicing her Jutsu. The only quiet residents would have been Haruka, and Shinobu. But, tonight was completely different. It was uncomfortably quiet. 

It was winter break, and school was out. Motoko returned to her home in Kyoto, to spend time with her sister, Tsuruko. She had been attending Toudai, and was unable to squeeze her sister in for some time. Kaolla (along with Tama-chan) returned to her home as well, where she could spend Christmas with her brother. Haruka went on an excavation to the Pacific Islands with Seta. It was her way of spending time with Seta, who could never spend a Christmas doing nothing. Shinobu returned home as well. The same with Mutsume. And finally, Mitsune took off for Akihabara to spend her Christmas with the Pachinko slot machines, among others. Of course, Narusegawa and Keitarou were off in their own little world, close to Toudai. They were each others family, and didn't require going back to their home. The thought of those two spending together Christmas brought back bitter memories of their wedding, a year ago. 

Kanako turned over on her futon, to her side pulling her covers all the way up to her shoulders. Outside, the rustling of dead leaves could be heard along with the ghostly winds, which seemed to have been shrieking it's own language. It was a terrifying sound to Kanako. This was the first time she spent her time in Hinata Sou, all to herself. How she longed for the others to be there, doing their usual rounds! How she longed for her brother... If only he were here, this wouldn't be happening. She wouldn't be shivering all alone. Not of the cold, but through the sheer terror of her imagination running off with the ominous winds outside. Why was grandma Hinata always traveling around the world? Couldn't she spend just this time with her own grand-daughter at Hinata Sou? Kanako decided to spend this Christmas with the people at Hinata Sou for three reasons. One was because she was so sick of traveling with Grandma, the next was that the people in Hinata Sou were more of a family than her foster parents were. And finally, because Keitarou might have been there. In all three cases, her plan backfired into this predicament. 

As Kanako was weeping bitterly in her mind about how unfair everything turned out, there was a sudden knocking at the door on the floor below her. It was quiet at first, but slowly started to sound louder by the moment. Somebody was definitely trying to get into the house... 

Without hesitation, Kanako quickly rose from her futon and sprinted toward Motoko's room. It would have been the most logical place to run to, as it housed the most weapons in Hinata Sou. Upon opening the sliding door, her eyes gazed at the only practical means of defending herself. Hanging on the wall was Motoko's katana, the one her sister had given to her a few years back. Everything else in the room was armor, some samurai books, a college book here and there, and some other useless furnishings. Her shaking hands removed the katana from the wall, and unsheathed the blade underneath. The blade was still sharp. She wasn't on the level of Motoko as far as swordsmanship went...but she was still capable of wielding the weapon in her hand, at least giving her ample time to run away. 

Upon making her way down the wooden stairs, sword in hand, she could make out the shadow of the person outside. His physique was rather scrawny, and definitely not the menacing figure she had imagined. A drop of sweat rolled down her face when she saw the shadow outside pulling out what seemed to be a key, and then plugging it into the keyhole. "Click" He had somehow obtained the keys to Hinata Sou! Slowly, the figure slid the door open and took a step inside, unaware of the terrified girl hiding in the darkness before him. 

She stared on in disbelief as this man made his way into Hinata Sou so casually. Fear took over her disbelief when the man took another step in, rubbing the walls to find the light switch. Desperate and afraid, Kanako lunged forward , her eyes tightly squinted, and blade held up high. Without a clear view of the person before her, she swung the sword downwards, automatically assuming it was a burglar. No male she knew would come into the house at this hour. Contact was made. A loud groan was heard soon after. Realizing she had wounded somebody, her eyes slowly opened. She flicked on the light. 

The vision before her was blurry at first, as she tried to make him out. He had short, brown hair, much like her brother. On his eyes, a pair of glasses could be seen. He was wearing a rather thin jacket, too thin for the harsh winds outside, a T-shirt beneath, and casual denim jeans. This was typical for Keitarou to wear too. Finally, the blurriness in her eyes faded away. 

Kanako, at the first sight of the person before her, shrieked in shock. "Onii-sama!!" Her eyes widened as she saw her brother bleeding at the shoulder from the cut she inflicted on him. Without even noticing, her hand loosened it's grip on the hilt of the sword, and let it drop to the floor. 

Keitarou favored his injured shoulder, looking at Kanako in shock and murmuring "K....Kanako-chan...". Blood was gushing down his hand and into his sleeve as he tried to stop the bleeding by applying pressure to it. The cut wasn't anything serious, but was deep enough to keep him bleeding for a while.

"I....I'm so sorry....!" It was a stupid thing to say after she had done such a reckless thing to him. But, at the same time, it was about the only thing she could say to him. Nothing could justify what just happened. After gathering herself, Kanako quickly rushed into the living room and returned with a towel in her hands. She quickly pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it down to the ground. It was the first time she had actually undressed him. All the other times, she would've walked in on him taking off/putting on his own clothing. Carefully, she pushed his hand out of the way and replaced it with her own, applying pressure to the wound on his shoulder with the towel.

"It's ok...I should have called before returning here. It's partially my fault, Kanako." Toward her, he just looked on, smiling faintly and wincing in pain now and then as Kanako pressed. It might have been Naru's constant abusing him that could have strengthened him this much. Whatever the case was, he didn't seem as upset as she thought he would have been. Only he would remain this way after being attacked for no reason other than just being himself. Only Keitarou was this understanding and patient. This was why Kanako loved him so much back then, despite their status as brother and sister (adopted) ...No, this was why she still had feelings for him, even after all those years of absence from each other. Times like that were when Kanako's feelings of him were only enhanced, yet on the flip side, his admiration for her would only deteriorate.

Silence. Keitarou just sat there with his back against the wall for a moment, while Kanako silently nursed him with what little she knew. Finally, Keitarou broke the ice and spoke. "Anno...Why aren't you with Grandma Hina now, Kanako...?"

She slowly raised her head at the question and breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that the bleeding had subsided and then eventually coming to a complete stop. "Err...well...that is.. she is still sightseeing around the world, and I thought it would be nice to spend just this year with Haruka and the others, here.." She looked away from his revealed chest, twiddling her fingers unintentionally.

"_Just_ this year?" Keitarou asked himself in his mind. Spending every Christmas with Kanako would have been a different experience per year. And spending one was limiting how exciting Christmas really could be. Reluctantly, he agreed. "You should... spend every Christmas with us, Kanako! It's so much more fun with you here! Like old times!" The last part slipped out, without much realization.

The moment was too awkward now. Him mentioning 'old times' caused a flood of memories to resurface. Especially the promise. Their promise to run Hinata Sou as an inn, together. The broken promise. She wished things would really return to the way they were... before everybody else came into the picture. When he was hers, and she was his. When he liked her. But no matter. Keitarou probably forgot all about it. There wasn't any reason why he'd remember. Or want to remember, no less. He was married now, and attended a renowned university. Why would he give all that up to run a hotel with his step sister? "W...well, I don't want to be a burden to the others here..."

"No, it's ok. I insist you stay here! Hinata Sou is great because of everyone here!" Keitarou kept on pushing. Hinata Sou _was_ a wonderful place because everybody there was so unique in their own way.

"W...well, you know.. if you insist, sure.....Onii-sama...." She could never say "no" to him. Kanako laughed nervously and nodded, not sure if she should break out in tears at her brothers dense kindness and good nature or smile fragrantly to approve of his invitation. But, what was the point of staying? Keitarou wouldn't have been there, and staying there would remind of her of losing the person she loved the most. It was childish and selfish, but she still held onto her feelings, no matter how much in vain it was.

Keitarou eventually began a slow rise to his feet, only to stumble clumsily as he did so. "Oof...!" He was still a bit shaken after all that happened.

Quickly, Kanako rushed to his side and wrapped one of her arms around his waist, while Keitarou took his good arm and wrapped it around her shoulder. "Don't push yourself so hard, Onii-sama...." Her face turned a slight shade of pink at everything that was happening, but continued to keep her composure. This type of thing was normal in Hinata Sou. Carefully, she shouldered him towards the couch, where he lied down. She was surprised how light he was. He took his glasses off and set them aside.

"Would you like anything to drink, eat.....how about a back-rub, Onii-sama??" persisted Kanako. Much like a maid would, she fluffed a few cushions and slid them beneath his head while smiling bashfully to her brother. " A thought entered her head. "Or how about....just me?" No, that wouldn't happen. Even if they did have the house all to themselves. Keitarou would never do such a thing. To Kanako, this was the closest she would get to achieving her promise of running the inn together with him. A memory crossed her mind. It was of the time when they were still kids, and he'd often shampoo her hair and her, his. She really missed those days..

"Why can't Narusegawa be like this?" he groaned to himself. This was something like a dream to Keitarou. A girl to wait on them hand and foot and offer backrubs among other things. Unaware of Kanako sitting in front of him, he slowly started to doze off. It had been an exhausting evening. "No....I'm fine......" Silence.

Kanako looked at him, wondering if he really was sleeping. "Onii-sama.....?" No answer. She tried a different approach. "Onii-chan.....?" No answer again. She waved her hand in front of his face. No response. Her cheeks reached a darker shade of pink as she saw her brother, quietly sleeping in front of her. Despite his age, in a sleeping state, he looked so innocent. After mustering bits and pieces of her courage, she slowly raised her hand to his face, hesitating at first, but eventually placing her hand on his cheek and caressing it gently. He felt soft...much softer than what she imagined him to be. "My dear, sweet Onii-sama..." She wasn't content with just this. Just a bit more. Just one... Nobody would know. He was still sleeping...and she wouldn't tell him or anyone what happened. Slowly, she inched her face closer, still rubbing his cheek gently, then stopped with their lips only a matter of millimeters apart. "Forgive me, Onii-sama...I.." her lips lowered to meet with Keitarou's and brushed against them lightly. Once. Twice. Before she realized it, she could feel Keitarou's lips brushing back against her own. Her eyes blinked wide as she felt a response. Succumbing to her emotions for a moment, she closed her eyes and kissed back Her heart must have melted a thousand times over in that instant. It felt so good. She didn't want to stop, but knew she had to. When she finally managed to pull herself away from him, her eyes blinked at him. He was still asleep. It was probably better this way. "Onii-sama..."

Even though it might have been unintentional, the kiss felt so right. Nothing else she experienced felt that way. "Oyasumi nasai, Onii-sama..." She smiled to her sleeping Keitarou and began a slow rise. Just for tonight, he was completely hers and she was his. Naru wasn't there. Nobody but the two of them. She turned around and headed towards the hall.

"Hey, did you hear? Grandma Hina said she was going to give us Hinata Sou!" Keitarou blurted out, while sleeping softly.

Kanako blinked and quickly turned back around to see if Keitarou had woken up. He hadn't. He must have been dreaming of the promise they made all those years ago. She could remember the exact words she said and what his responses were then. "Hinata Sou...?"

"Kanako, I remember you always liked it there. Once we're older, let's run it together!"

"Hmm.." Keitarou was responding just like she remembered he did back then.

"All right! Let's make it a promise, Kanako! When we're older, we can run Hinata Sou together!"

"A promise..? Ok....it's a promise between just the two of us! Onii-chan....hehe." And there it was. The promise they made so long ago. The shattered promise. This was the only thing that kept her going since ever. Even now, she hadn't found a drive that took her so far. It was incredible Keitarou could re-enact that fated moment while still sleeping. Maybe she still had a place in his heart after all. Kanako walked back over to him and sat at his feet, eventually dozing off herself. The past few hours have been emotionally draining, and she felt at the end, it was all worth it. "Oyasumi..."

Morning eventually came. Kanako opened her eyes, tiredly. 8 AM. She slowly sat up, still groggy because of the short while she had slept. "Mm..." It took a moment, but she noticed that her body was covered with a blanket which normally wasn't by the couch. Wait...she didn't remember laying down in the first place. "Onii-sama....!" She turned her head, searching, but couldn't see him anywhere. In her heart she prayed non-stop, for him to have stay at least a bit longer. She hated being at Hinata Sou all alone.

She made her way over to the doorstep. Naturally, if he hadn't gone anywhere, his shoes would still be there. But, if he did, they would be gone. She peeked around the corner, at the doorstep... "Please be here, Onii-sama...please..." Yes! They were there after all! She called out to him happily, "Onii-sama! Onii-sama! Where are you??" No answer. At least she knew he didn't leave Hinata Sou...yet. Maybe he was in his old room. Suddenly she remembered something. "...Why is Onii-sama back at Hinata Sou...?" He had Naru, the Toudai promised girl by his side. There shouldn't have been a reason for him to be back here at all. Shrugging that aside, she rushed to his room. She slid the door open a little and peeked inside. Not there either. That really left one solution. At the changing room, she could hear splashes of water past the door to the hot springs. "Whew...he's still here.."

Keitarou sat in the hot springs, looking up into the cloudy skies and sighed into the chilly air. He wouldn't have been surprised if it snowed any moment from now. The weather conditions seemed right for it to do so. "Ahh... this is nice.." It had been a long time since he was in these springs for a dip. He cursed the miserable little tubs in the Toudai dorms for not being hot springs. His dream last night kept on coming back to him. "I haven't dreamt about the past in a long time after marrying Naru...I wonder why I dreamt of Kanako last night." He compared the Kanako now, to the Kanako he played with all those years ago. She had really grown up. And she didn't just grow up. She matured into a beautiful and graceful young woman. "I guess I won't be shampooing her hair anymore.." He sighed again. Those days really _were_ fun. Normally these dreams didn't distract him so much anymore, but for some reason, this time it did. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a quiet voice on the other side of the door to the spring calling out to him. "Onii-sama...?"

"Onii-sama, are you there?" Kanako asked, just to make sure it was him and not some stranger. She thought back to the days when they were young, shampooing each others hair, and scrubbing each others back playfully. Those days were some of the best times in her life. But he wasn't the boy she spent her childhood with anymore. Now he was a handsome and respectable married young man. "I guess I won't be washing your back anymore, Onii-sama.."

"Yeah, I am, Kanako..!" Embarrassed, he quickly submerged himself deeper into the water. "Aw man! Why couldn't Narusegawa be that polite? She'd probably barge in here, and then punch me out for being in here before her! And then she'd call me a pervert!!" He slowly relaxed his mind, and reassured himself. "It's just Kanako...it's ok." Nothing more. "N... ne, Kanako...If you want to...you can come inside. I won't mind. It feels really nice here.." For some reason, that was hard to get out.

Her heart felt like it was about to jump out of her chest when she heard his invitation. "W...well...if it's ok with you, Onii-sama" Once again, she wasn't able to decline anything he offered.

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Chapter 1 Finished! Onto Chapter 2 ! 

Authors notes! - This was actually my first fan fiction! Not to mention my first real story, too! I meant to start one when I finished reading the Love Hina manga, but I never really got around to it. So, yeah.. I was really, pretty, quite lazy. But, it was only after recently watching the Love Hina Again OVA (watching Kanako moving and speaking is totally different from the B&W manga, btw), that I actually started writing. And I had fun writing this chapter too.

Disclaimer: Retransmission in any form without express permission of the author is strictly forbidden. And all that. Basically, don't take credit for my work, and don't copy it either.


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